(xiii.)

Lazarus nodded his acquiescence, grinning broadly at the poor frazzled woman. She shuddered.

Too much? Ah well, it can't be helped. It's not like I'm hiding some shameful secret.

The lich cast Holy Knight's Armor, and he felt a not-insignificant drain on his reserves, returning his mana to 253 mana.

Lazarus stopped for a moment.

Can I dismiss Jet? Come to think of it, I've never actually tried before. The only time I've been without the pup since my grand reincarnation was when he went tumbling off the hillside.

He willed it and, with a small urf, Jet disappeared in the same black smoke he saw when he defeated the Black Bark Panther earlier. Bereft of its new owner, the orphaned boot dropped unceremoniously to the floor.

Linda smiled a little more genuinely this time. “Thank you, Master Lazarus. The guild would like to keep you and your skills a secret until we can't if possible to avoid any... ah... problems early on. Not to mention, adventurers' companions and familiars have a tendency to wreak havoc in the hall.”

Lazarus nodded in understanding; while Jet was fiercely loyal, he didn't seem to be the brightest sort. And this desire to appropriate 'treasures' that didn't belong to him... well, that could easily get out of hand without proper training. Was obedience training for skele-dogs a thing? Linda guided him back to the room with the black obelisk again.

“Please wait here,” the receptionist directed. “The interview is the last stage of the testing and that will be performed by the Guild Leader himself. It may take some time for him to arrive; please be patient.”

Lazarus took the last few moments of their time together to use his Appraisal skill on Linda:

Status:

Name: Linda

Race: Human

Sex: Female

Class: Tal Illusionist

Skills:

Talisman Creation – ???

Appraisal – Level ???

Illusions – Level ???

Etiquette – Level ???

???

Spells:???

Magic Aptitude: Fire

Major Stats:

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Level: 5

Heath: 650/650 Mana: 500/400

Minor Stats:

Strength: 1, Dexterity: 3, Intelligence: 5

Wisdom: 10, Charisma: 6, Luck: 5

Tal Illusionist... that's new. Based on her skill set, I would assume that 'Tal' is short for 'Talisman'. And she is missing a hundred mana. Is that from summoning the Black Bark Panther? Can I use Appraisal on things listed in the Appraisal itself?

Lazarus tried it, attempting to use the skill on the Class Tal Illusionist.

Required skill level not met to Appraise classes.

All hail the Red Text!

Aha! So it can work; I just need a higher skill level. I'll just have to put more effort in to appease the great System.

After waiting a short while, a tall, burly man entered the room. He had close-cropped blood red hair and a deep-set scar running straight across the bridge of his nose which only served to make the man look even more imposing.

Oh, to have a set of shoulders like those... I don't suppose this man is your standard, everyday brawler. Hell, I'd hazard a guess this man's not quite human, either.

“So, you're the one, are you? The mysterious new recruit. I'm the Guild Master here, Lucas of the Scales,” Lazarus visibly perked up at the end of the Guild Master's introduction.

This is the first person I have met with a title and not just a first name. That is definitely significant, I'm sure.

Lucas smiled at the lich and offered a massive hand. Lazarus, knowing better than to use his Appraisal on someone that was obviously in a position of power, bowed his head and accepted the Guild Master's handshake, suddenly grateful for his gauntlet. The man's grip was fearsomely strong; he could crush bones if he wasn't careful.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Guild Master Lucas of the Scales. Do forgive me if I've caused any offense; I'm new to your country and do not know your customs.”

The Guild Master seemed very surprised by Lazarus' words. At that moment, he felt the same feeling from before when he squared up against Madris, like a gentle stream of mana flowed over him very briefly.

“So, it's true, after all. You are a Lich,” Lucas proclaimed, shaking his head. “I had to see you myself to believe it.”

“Race appears to be a large issue with the guild. You are the third person to bring my race into question today,” Lazarus coldly remarked, arching a figurative eyebrow under his pristine helm.

Lucas frowned deeply. “I apologize; that should not have happened. Allow me to be completely transparent with you, Sir Lazarus–”

“–Just Lazarus, if you don't mind,” the lich cut in. “I'm afraid the armor is giving most people the wrong idea.”

Though I wouldn't care to take advantage of that misconception whenever appropriate.

“Lazarus, then,” the Guild Master corrected himself. “You come from a very rare race, as do I. In fact, your race is even more rare than mine. I myself am from the Dragon race, though most of our kind tend to avoid humanity as a whole.

“But the Lich race is... literally like a fairy tale. A myth. We have few records of the race even existing, and none in recent history. To give you a idea of rarity, the various sorts of beast-kin make up the majority of the population in most nations, followed by human, then dwarf and elf,” the Guild Master paused, allowing the gravitas of his statement to sink in.

That confirms my theory, then.

“Like I said, we know very little about the Lich race, so I apologize if I, or any of my staff, have come across a bit... ignorant,” Lucas took a seat across from Lazarus, who did the same. “I'm here for your closing interview; Linda already handed over the paperwork to me. Truth be told, the only reason I'm involved at this level at all is because you scored so well in all your tests. You received perfect scores in all your tests, with bonuses added on top of that for clearing speed markers we had noted.”

“Aha, hidden criteria?” Lazarus asked, somewhat amused. Now the Guild Master had his full attention.

Oh-ho! My researcher's brain is tingling. Surely I do have a brain under this skull, at least.

“Indeed. Normally, the test is to show the nobles and newbie adventurers you can't skip the basics and jump rank,” the Guild Master rubbed his head. “But, honestly, you passed with such high marks that we need to move you up not one, but at least two ranks. This is... entirely unheard of.

“So! Let us go over your tests first. We did a basic review of your major and minor stats. They are already as high as someone 9 levels above you. How you are level 1 and that strong makes literally no sense at all. So that's a pass on base power alone.

“Your next test was to show your magic, and even with a large chunk of your mana gone, you created a brand new Metal element spell no one has ever seen before with ridiculous battle potential, no less! So again, large pass. That spell alone, if taught to the military of any one country, could set you for even your long life.”

Lazarus felt a cold sweat from the guild master's explanation. Completely not what he was trying to do.

Lucas continued, “Next was the test where you fought a Black Bark Panther. You predicted its movements and destroyed it in one hit from the inside. You had no wasted movement and you evaluated the sole weakness of the beast and defeated it with a single strike.

Well, it wasn't exactly intentional. Not that I'd be telling you, my good sir!

“Last, your fight with Madris... In Linda's report, it seems your main difficulty was not killing Madris, a strong veteran elf with over 200 years of experience in the guild. She was a guerrilla warfare master who took down an entire army on her own that had invaded the elves' forest. But you were able to surprise her and subdue her in under 6 minutes, no less.

“Interestingly, her level would be higher if she did not have an aversion to killing her enemies. Must be quite the paradox for an Assassin,” the Guild Master shrugged. “Not my dungeon, not my slime, as they say. That's entirely on her and her code of... ethics. It seems when she wakes up you will have an interesting time.”